Apparatus for wrapping pipe



Nov. 6, 1934. N w 1,979,656

APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING PIPE Original Fild Dec. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1.

INVENTOR NATHAN D, WHITMAM ATTORNEY Nov. 6, 1,934. N, D. WHITMAN APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING PIPE Original Filed Dec. 1, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIE- 4:-

INVENTOR v NATHAN 19. WHITMAN BY luur ATLILORNEY Gil Patented Nov. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING PIPE' Nathan D. Whitman, South Pasadena, Calif., as-

slgnor to American Concrete and Steel Pipe Company, a corporation of California Original application December 1, 1930, Serial No.

499,305. Divided and this application February 23, 1932, Serial No. 594,563

7 Claims.

This invention has to do in a general way with the art of wrapping pipe and deals more particularly with a machine designed to wrap steel pipe with a mortar shell. The particular machine contemplated by this invention is especially adapted for use in practicing the method disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 499,305, filed December 1, 1930, of which this application is a division.

It is known that steel pipe when placed underground is subject to various .corrosive actions, depending on the nature of the soil in which the pipe is laid, the proximity of other pipe lines, electrical conductors, etc. Various methods toward overcoming such corrosive action are now being practiced, some of which entail the use of pipe formed entirely of concrete or mortar, or steel pipe which is coated with an asphalt emulsion. Solid concrete pipe, as is well known, has several objectionable features, chief among which are its bulk and weight and the care which must be exercised in handling it due to its irangibility. Furthermore, concrete pipe is not entirely impervious and requires a waterproofing element of some sort before it can be used as a fluid conduit.

As a coating, for pipe mortar has several valuable features in that it forms a hard durable coat which is not easily broken when placed over a steel pipe. Furthermore, it is highly resistant to deterioration and corrosive action, and for these reasons mortar is recognized as an ideal coating for steel pipe and possesses many advantages over asphalt coating.

The present invention, as before stated, deals in a general way with a method for coating steel pipe with a shell of concrete or mortar and more particularly with a machine whereby such coating can be economically and efiiciently-applied. The method to which the machine contemplated by this invention is concerned includes the steps of placing a spiral layer of mortar around a steel pipe and binding the same in place by an outer layer of material which may be fabric or any other suitable material such as wire mesh or suitably prepared paper. When the coating process is completed the binding material becomes a permanent part of the covering and provides a means .of holding the mortar in place around the pipe. It will also act as a means of protecting the coating during handling.

It is a primary object of this invention to produce a machine of the class described which is of simple form and construction and which may be used to rapidly and eificiently coat pipe in an economical manner.

It is a further object of the invention to produce a machine of the class described which is constructed so that the concrete or mortar is continuously applied inspiral layers along the pipe in combination with a binding mediumpn the surface of the applied mortar.

It is a further object of this invention to produce a machine in which a preliminary coating of grout can be applied to the bare pipe prior to the application of the mortar and in which a finished coat of mortar may be applied to the fabric which binds the concrete in place.

It is a further important feature of this invention that means are provided in the machine for applying pressure to the mortar and tape or fabric strips in connection with which the mortar is applied as it is wound about the pipe.

The device contemplated by this invention consists in a general way of a frame provided with means for rotatably supporting the pipe. This frame is associated with""a-table or traveling support which carries a hopper or a plurality of hoppers adapted to contain mortar, grout and the. like, and these hoppers are associated with a roll or other suitable source of tape or fabric or other material which is adapted to be led beneath the hopper to a point at which it is wound upon the pipe. Means are provided forv rotating the pipe so as to wind the tape thereon and means are also provided for advancing the tape and the associated hopper along the pipe during its rotation. The tape, as it passes beneath the hopper, is provided with a coating of mortar of the desired thickness and the mortar coated tape is pressed into engagement with the pipe as it is wound thereon by a suitable pressure means mounted onth'e table.

The details in the construction of a preferred form of my invention, together with other objects attending its production, will be best understood from the following description of the accompanying drawings which are chosen for illustrative purposes only, and in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2. of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 shows an optional method of applying the coating; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section of pipe with part of the coating removed.

In the drawings, I have illustrated a machine capable of wrapping pipe in the manner set forth and to be more fully described hereinafter. As shown, this machine comprises a supporting frame generally designated A. Upon the frame A, I provide means for mounting a section of pipe designated B. The means for mounting the pipe comprises standards 11 and 12 detachably mounted upon the frame A by any suitable means, such as bolts 13 and 14.

On the standards 11 and 12, I provide bearings 15 and 16, respectively. In said bearings I journal a shaft 17. The shaft in turn is provided with members 18 and 19 which are keyed thereon and adapted to hold the section of pipe B substantially concentricwith the shaft 1'7. On one end of the shaft 17 I provide a pulley 20, which is arranged to drive the shaft and receive power from the belt 21, said belt being connected to any suitable source of power, not shown. A gear 22 is also mounted on the shaft 17 and meshes with an intermediate gear 23 which, in turn, drives a gear 24 mounted upon a shaft 25 that is journaled in bearings 26 and 27 upon the frame A. The shaft 25 is screw-threaded between by means of bolts 35 and 36 secured to the table C and operating through arcuate slots 37 and 38 ognized as providing a means of adjusting the angular relation between the plate 34 and the table 0. Upon the plate 34, I provide a hopper 39 adapted to contain concrete or mortar, said hopper having a tunneled opening 40 onto the plate 34. Suitably mounted on the plate 34, and as shown secured to the hopper 39, I install a roll of tape 41-. The roll 41 is composed of a continuous tape 42 that may be of a fabric wire mesh or any suitably prepared composition, such as paper.

under the contents in the hopper 39 and out through the opening 40 in said hopper, then over the plate 34 until it encircles the pipe B, as shown It is obvious that as the tape 42 passes beneath the material in the hopper 39, it will draw a certain amount out through the opening 40, which will be conveyed on the tape over to the pipe B Where it is applied to the pipe in a spiral layer and compacted into a substantially uniform layer by means of a roller 45 suitably mounted-upon the plate 34. As the pipe B is rotated, the table C is moved longitudinally with respect to the pipe by-means of the screw-threaded shaft 28 operating through the member 33. In order to compensate for the rotation of the pipe and the movement of the table, and effect a spiral wrapping action upon the pipe, the plate 34 is set at a slight angle to the table C, best illustrated in Fig. 1.

This invention also embodies the step of optionally applying a film of grout material to the bare pipe before the concrete is applied. For this purpose, I provide a hopper 46 suitably mounted upon the plate 34, and equip said hop- The tape shown at 42 passes over a guide roll 43 mounted upon the hopper 39, and

per with a member 47, either of a brush type or a flexible rubber wiping member disposed below an opening 48 in said hopper whereby material from the hopper is spread over the surface of the rotating pipe B before the wrapping action takes place.

Another similar hopper is shown at 49, and may be optionally operated substantially identically with the hopper 46 to apply a coat of mortar as a finished coating over the binding material. These hoppers, being mounted upon the plate 34, will travel with the plate and will operate in conjunction with the application of the concrete to first treat the bare pipe with a preliminary coating of grout and to finally cover the material which serves as a binding medium to hold the concrete in place with a finished layer of mortar; the final product being a section of metallic pipe encased entirely within .a concrete shell and having an exposed surface of mortar.

In Fig. 6 I. have shown a slightly modified arrangement for applying the concrete. In this structure, a hopper 50 is brought substantially even with the side of the pipe B, and instead of the tape passing beneath the bottom of the hopper, an opening 51 is made in the side of the hopper at a point next the surface of the pipe B, and a tape 52 is brought down the rear side of the hopper to receive material from the hopper as it falls from'the opening 51. With this arrangement, it is possible to gage the amount of material emitted from the hopper by. the distance of the hopper away from the side ofthe pipe. A guide roller 53 is provided in any suitable place below the opening 51, and not only serves to guide the tape, but also to compact the material and bring it to a layer of substantially uniform thickness.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a finished'product partly broken away to show the various component parts thereof. As illustrated in this figure, the pipe B, which is of any ordinary metallic construction, is first coated with a coating 54 of grout. The layer of mortar 55 is then spirally applied, and is held in position by the strip of tape 42, the tape being covered with a finished coat of mortar 57. It is to be understood that I may dispense with the preliminarygrouting and thefinal mortaring if desirable, and that Imay also incorporate with the application of concrete, reinforcing material of any suitable sort, said reinforcing material being applied either before the pipe is coated or during the coating application.

Although'I have shown and described a specific embodiment of a machine for practicing my invention, and have shown a possible modification thereof, nevertheless I am aware that under the doctrine of equivalents other parts may be modified and refined. I, therefore, reserve the right to all such alterations that may be resorted to in the nature of refinements and modifications which come within the scope of the disclosure and the essence of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. Apipe wrapping machine embodying: means for rotatably supporting a section of pipe to be wrapped; a table movable longitudinally of said pipe; means on said table for applying a preliminary coating of grout to said pipe; means on said table for supporting a continuous tape arranged to be spirally wound around said pipe over said it is wound around said pipe; and means on said table for applying a coating of mortar over said tape after it is wound around said pipe.

2. A pipe wrapping machine embodying: means for rotatably supporting a section of pipe to be wrapped; a table arranged to be moved with respect to the longitudinal axis of said pipe; va hopper adapted to contain mortar mounted upon said table; means for mounting a roll of continuous tape upon said table arranged to be wrapped around said pipe; means for depositing a. layer of mortar upon said tape from said hopper before the tape is wrapped around said pipe; and a pressure roll mounted on said table below said pipe for engaging the face of said tape as it is wrapped on said pipe.

3. A pipe wrapping machine embodying: means for rotatably supporting a section of pipe to be wrapped; a table arranged to be moved with respect to the longitudinal axis of said pipe; a hopper adapted to contain mortar mounted upon said table having a tunneled discharge opening; means for mounting a roll of continuous tape upon said table arranged to be wrapped around said pipe; means for depositing a layer of mortar upon the tape from said hopper before the tape is wrapped around said pipe, said last mentioned means embodying means for passing the tape through the lowerportion of said hopper and withdrawing a substantially uniform layer said pipe for engaging said tape as it is wrapped on said pipe.

i. A pipe wrapping machine embodying:

means for rotatably supporting a section of pipe to be wrapped; means for applying a coating of grout to said pipe; means for spirally winding a continuous tape around said pipe over said coating of grout; means for depositing a layer of mortar on said tape before it is wound around said pipe; and means for radially applying pressure to said tape and said mortar as they are wound about said pipe.

5. A pipe wrapping machine embodying: a frame; means for rotatably supporting a section of pipe above said frame means for rotating said pipe section; a table movably mounted on said frame withan extending portion thereof positioned beneath said pipe; means for moving said table in a direction parallel to the axis of said said tape; and a roller mounted in the extending portion of said table having a surface adapted to engage said tape as it is wrapped upon said pipe.

6. A pipe wrapping machine embodying: a frame; means for rotatably supporting a section of pipe above said frame; means for rotating said pipe section; a table movably mounted on said frame with an extending portion thereof positioned beneath said pipe; means for moving said table in a direction parallel to the axis of said pipe and in timed relation with the rotation of said pipe; means for supporting a roll of tape upon said table, said .tape being arranged so as to be slidably moved across said table and wrapped upon said pipe in a spiral duringthe rotation of said pipe and the movement of said table; a mortar hopper mounted on said table, said mortar hopper having anopen bottom and a forwardly extending hood positioned above said tape for delivering a uniform mat of mortar onto said tape; a roller mounted in the extending portion of said table having a surface adapted to with said pipe and positioned opposite a point on said pipe which is in advance of the point at which the pipe is engaged by said tape and mortar.

7. A pipe wrapping machine embodying: a frame; means for rotatably supporting a section of pipe above said frame; means for rotating said pipe section; a table movably mounted on said frame with an extending portion thereof positioned beneath said pipe; means for moving said table in a direction parallel to the axisfof said pipe and in timed relation with the rotation of said pipe; means for supporting a roll of tape upon said table, said tape being arranged so as to be slidably moved across said table and wrapped upon said pipe in a spiral during the rotation of said pipe and the movement of said table; a mortar hoppermounted on said table, said mortar hopper having an open bottom and a forwardly extending hood positioned above said tape for delivering a uniform mat of mortar onto said tape; a roller mounted in the extending portion of said table having a surface adapted to engage said tape as it is wrapped upon said pipe; a first grout hopper supported'by said table with its discharge opening in substantial engagement with said pipe and positioned opposite a point on said pipe which is in advance of the point at which the pipe is engaged by said tape and mortar; and a second grout hopper supported by said table with its discharge opening spaced away from said pipe a distance corresponding substantially to the thickness of tape and mortar applied thereto and positioned opposite a point on said pipe which is behind the point at which the pipe is engaged by said tape and mortar.

' NATHAN D. WHITMAN. 

